Category: birdwatching

It’s been a long time since I posted about birdwatching, though that was the original purpose of this blog. However, on Saturday, I saw a kind of bird I had never seen before, somewhat gull-like but definitely distinct from them. I thought “Maybe it’s a tern!” but then immediately second guessed myself because I didn’t think terns could be found in my area.

When I got back home to my bird book, I discovered that my initial instinct had been correct, and the bird soaring over the lake was in fact a Caspian tern, probably out scouting for fish. So I’m going to put more trust in my first impressions in birdwatching!

This is a Cedar Waxwing, a beautiful little bird that you only get a to see once a year–as they migrate through your territory. (Unless, of course, you live where they do.) I presume that they are named for their sleek appearance–in some lights, they don’t really look as though they have individual feathers. They are berry eaters, and they, together with an influx of American Robins here for the breeding season, stripped the holly tree outside our window of all its berries in a day and half, and it was loaded down with fruit!

American Robin

These are not my photos, but I got them from the public domain. I thought it would be more interesting with visuals (though robins are doubtless one of the more seen and recognized birds). I feel that I have never properly appreciated robins before, because I used to live where they were omnipresent. They are actually quite the songbirds, and hearing them sing is a comfort and a joy.

Behold the great blue heron, which we followed to one of its favorite spots. We’ve never seen it hunt here, but it often lands here in the evening to relax. It stands incredibly still and gazes down the length of the creek. Curiously, it rests and even flies with its right foot curled up. nor is this behavior unique to this bird.